The Job Spin -- March 12, 2015

The spin from Bloomberg:

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits declined more than forecast last week, returning to a level that’s consistent with an improving labor market.

Initial jobless claims dropped 36,000 to a three-week low of 289,000 in the period ended March 7 from a revised 325,000 in the prior week, a Labor Department report showed Thursday in Washington. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for 305,000 new applications. 

Another report Thursday from the Commerce Department showed retail sales unexpectedly declined for a third month in February. Purchases fell 0.6 percent after a 0.8 percent slump.

The four-week average of claims, a less-volatile measure than the weekly figure, fell to 302,250 from 306,000 the week before.